(Newser)
–
An 18-year-old Australian is over $800,000 richer today after a court ruled that his life was "all but destroyed" by school bullying. Australia's Supreme Court said the public school system "grossly failed" Ben Cox when it didn't stop an older student from repeatedly physically and verbally abusing him in kindergarten and first grade.

When Cox's mother complained to education authorities, they told her "bullying builds character" and declined to intervene. Her son now suffers from severe depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He is on a disability pension and, his mother told the Sydney Morning Herald, spends most of his time in his bedroom playing PlayStation.